Ghanaian rapper Medikal has received an international awards nomination for his “Beyond Kontrol” concert held at the Accra Sports Stadium in December 2025, with the show earning a place in the Concert of the Year category at the 43rd International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA), scheduled for May 17, 2026 in Lauderhill, Florida.
The nomination marks a significant crossover moment for Ghanaian hip-hop. IRAWMA, founded in 1982, is one of the longest-running global music award institutions, traditionally anchored in the reggae and Caribbean music space. The inclusion of a Ghanaian hip-hop concert among its Concert of the Year nominees reflects the expanding scope of the awards as well as the growing international footprint of Ghana’s music industry.
The “Beyond Kontrol” concert, staged on December 13, 2025, drew thousands of fans and featured performances from a roster of Ghana’s biggest names including Sarkodie, Shatta Wale, Bisa Kdei, Kuami Eugene, Kofi Kinaata, Fameye, and Wendy Shay. The show was widely reviewed as one of the standout events of Ghana’s Detty December season, praised for its production value, crowd management, and the sheer scale of industry support it commanded on the night.
The Concert of the Year category at IRAWMA evaluates not simply ticket sales but overall execution, audience engagement, production quality, and cultural impact, factors that industry observers say worked in the Accra Sports Stadium show’s favour given its ambition and delivery.
The nomination also comes at a strong point in Medikal’s broader commercial trajectory. His single “Shoulder” dominated Ghanaian airwaves and streaming platforms throughout 2025 and is widely regarded as one of the most played Ghanaian tracks of the year, reinforcing the momentum the rapper carries into a 2026 awards season that now has an international dimension.
For Ghana’s music industry, the IRAWMA recognition adds to a growing body of evidence that the country’s live entertainment sector is maturing into a product capable of drawing attention well beyond West African borders.
